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User profile for user: Fordango
Fordango Author
User level: Level 1
5 points

icloud bookmarks (PC) not synchronising

I use Windows 7 on a PC and have recently noted that my bookmarks / favourites are not being synchronised across my iPad and iPhone. I have added several web sites to my bookmarks on my PC of late and they are simply not appearing on my iPad. I have syncronsied it several times to no avail. It appears to have stayed as a point of a little while ago. I did update iTunes recently (to version 11.1.4.62) and wonder if that could be the cause of the problem.


I am using the latest iTunes and I would hence imagine the latest iCloud control panel.


I suspect it's my PC is not synching with iCloud but other than the obvious tick box on the icloud control panel (which is ticked) to do this there are no other settings available. I have tried unticking it, deleted entries and then reticked it and resynchronised but the bookmarks seem to remain as per a point in time a little while ago. Hence my suspicion that the PC is not synchronising with iCloud. I can't find anything on the Apple help pages which in fact is very light on any infomration for PC users.


I'm using Internet Explorer 11 and iOS6 (or whatever the latest before IOS7 is) on my devices.


Any suggestions would be appreciated.


Paul

iPad 2, iOS 5

Posted on Feb 2, 2014 10:03 AM

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15 replies
User profile for user: Fordango
Fordango Author
User level: Level 1
5 points

Feb 5, 2014 3:19 PM in response to Fordango

Matt,

I've read those links and can say that the only thing changed on my PC recently is iTunes itself. I've not moved bookmarks folder or updated my browser etc.


The only thing I have not tried is change my browser and I'm not keen on that. I certainly won't be putting any google product on my computer and am unfamiliar with the security of Firefox due to the sheer number of plug ins and customisation involved.


Something else has happend in the last two or three weeks that has caused this and in my opinion can only have been caused by a system change or update. I have manually deleted a few duplicate bookmakrs recently but they might have been due to me saving duplicates of them though I do know that I've expoerienced some duplication caused by icloud, but that's not wholesale duplication. I occassionally do a review and clean up on my PC.


It would be interesting to know at what point iCloud synchronises favourites / bookmarks on my pc with the cloud storage. It is at a change or when the computer is idle of at start up and close down? That infomration might give a cluse as to the cause.

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User profile for user: Pjguitar
Pjguitar
User level: Level 1
0 points

Apr 21, 2014 3:02 PM in response to Fordango

I have had a problem like the original poster had for some time and found very little on the internet that was helpful. The following step-by-step procedure is the one I finally worked out after some trial and error. It entails three devices: PC running Win7 and IE11, iPad2 and iPhone5c running iOS7. The procedure presupposes the user has desired Favorites/(Bookmarks) on IE11 that won't sync properly with the Apple Devices. It requires that the Bookmarks content in iCloud be completely erased and replaced with IE11 Favorites.

  1. Turn off the link between Safari and iPad/iPhone (same procedure for both devices)—
    1. Goto Settings>iCloud.
    2. Click the on/off button for Safari to turn it off.
    3. In the popup window “Turn Off Safari,” click the option “Delete from My iPad;” this will delete all previously synced iCloud Safari data on your device, including the Bookmarks, but will leave the data in iCloud.
  2. Turn off the link between IE and iCloud for syncing bookmarks with Apple devices—
    1. Open iCloud Control Panel.
    2. Un-check “Bookmarks With Internet Explorer.”
    3. Click Apply.
  3. Export IE Favorites to backup—
    1. Open IE
    2. Goto File>”Import and export…”
    3. Export Favorites by following the page directions; the default destination is “C:\Users\[User]\Documents\bookmark.htm.”
  4. In IE, delete all favorites (don't do this in Windows Explorer).
  5. In iCloud Control Panel, check “Bookmarks With Internet Explorer”; click Apply. THIS WILL ERASE ALL BOOKMARKS IN ICLOUD, creating an empty folder.
  6. In iCloud Control Panel, un-check “Bookmarks With Internet Explorer”again; click Apply.
  7. In IE, re-Import the Favorites back into the Favorites file from “C:\Users\[User]\Documents\bookmark.htm.”
  8. In iCloud Control Panel, re-check “Bookmarks With Internet Explorer”; click Apply. This will repopulate the iCloud folder with the IE Favorites and setup IE to sync continuously.
  9. Turn the link back on between iCloud and iPad/iPhone @per #1 above. This will sync Safari on these devices with the newly repopulated Bookmarks in iCloud.

Once the above complete re-sync is completed, automatic re-syncing will resume between all three devices.

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User profile for user: Fordango
Fordango Author
User level: Level 1
5 points

Apr 23, 2014 3:09 PM in response to Pjguitar

That was my next thought though I had not fully detailed how I was going to do it. I did contact Apple support and spoke to a nice Apple support woman in another European country who after a few failed suggestions passed me onto another nice woman in another country but in reality all they did was get me to download an install a fresh copy (same version) of iCloud on my PC. They expressed concern at the number of Favourites I had (a lot) and that my devices were not running the latest IOS7 (phone's too old and concerned that iPad 2 may run too slow as others suggest under IOS7). My large collection of favourites is made worse because there are numerous duplicates, at least on my PC as checkung such on an IOS device is too cumbersome. The problem is that while I can delete them in IE11 or in the windows explorer list of favourites, or even rename folders, within a few seconds they come back as they were all by themselves, and so can make more duplicates. It would therefore appear that iCloud is downloading data to my PC but not uploading changes i make on my PC to other devices.


My next thought was as you suggested to clear out the favourites on IOS devices, tidy up the PC favourites by hand deleting duplicate entries and then reconnect them via syncing iCloud. Not a chore I relish which is why I've not gotten round to as yet.


However Pjguitar, why not use the Windows Explorer view to delete or tidy up favourites as its' by far the easiest way to do it?


Paul

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User profile for user: ilmor
ilmor
User level: Level 1
0 points

Feb 13, 2015 3:04 AM in response to Fordango

I finally got things to sync.


On ALL of your Apple devices:


Make sure iCloud is activated.


Make sure Safari iCloud setting is on.


Download and install iCloud on your PC. Check box for Internet Explorer bookmarks.


And last, but not least...and this is the final step that got mine to work for some reason....


Open iTunes on your PC and sync to your Apple devices!


NOW it works!!!

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User profile for user: cmyachtie
cmyachtie
User level: Level 1
14 points

May 7, 2015 7:26 PM in response to Pjguitar

TThis finally has fixed my bloated 6 to 7 duplicate bookmark file, however would like to add that if your bookmark file is a large one to wait overnight or longer to make it a success, it took me three days to finally get iCloud to have an empty file so be patient and it will work, my file size in html was almost 4 Mg and with all the dups around 19 so PC and iCloud and iPad needed some time to get it all done. Also make sure that the laptop stays on and does not do a restart to update during your synch. I suspect all my dups were caused by several incplete synch sessions, but that is just my WAG........


oh and btw it works also with Firefox instead of IE. I USED chrome super sorter to sort and in FF used the remove duplicate add on to clean my iCloud created mess so all in all,needed 3 browsers to clean this up......thanks Apple!!


thanks Pjguitar for your explicit instructions!!

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User profile for user: cmyachtie
cmyachtie
User level: Level 1
14 points

May 8, 2015 4:45 AM in response to cmyachtie

WWell, guess I celebrated prematurely as now next morning after thinking all was good in the iCloud /PC world....my Firefox bookmarks have mysteriouslyngrown by another Meg .......still thankful to Pjguitar for helping me get back to a good set of bookmarks BUT now decided to give up on iCloud synching of my bookmarks....FOREVER!!


all I have connected to this account is one Windows 7 laptop and one iPad Air all totally up to date SW wise, this should not be rocket science to get it working correctly !!!


Will do do my own thing to keep my bookmarks in synch.


my jury is still out on why this is occurring, is it stupid iCloud vs Win 7 or is it Firefox browser or interference with OneDrive?? (no I don,t have OneDrive doing any synching of bookmarks). Frankly though I am giving up caring.......totally have had it with is virus......LOL

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User profile for user: Fordango
Fordango Author
User level: Level 1
5 points

Jul 26, 2016 2:24 PM in response to Pjguitar

Just finally tried this after building a new PC - graphics card and cleaned SSD remain from old. Unfortunately step 5 'In iCloud Control Panel, check “Bookmarks With Internet Explorer”; click Apply. THIS WILL ERASE ALL BOOKMARKS IN ICLOUD, creating an empty folder' doesn't seem to work as it does not delete but rather 'merges' the empty favourites from IE with those still stored in iCloud. Basically the icloud list comes straight back to the PC again.


It's a real shame as I'd put some time in correcting duplicates etc from my new PC's IE favourites before even downloading iCloud and all i've achieved is putting the poor set back from my old PC onto my new one - fortunately I'd saved a copy at step 3 though apparently some of the names are too long so may have lost something after all.


Is there an easy way to actually empty the favourites from iCloud?

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User profile for user: Fordango
Fordango Author
User level: Level 1
5 points

Aug 21, 2016 12:30 AM in response to Fordango

Still trying to get this to work with the issue being that iCloud does not empty. At step 5, iCloud on the PC asks 'do you want to Merge bookmarks with iCloud. Your information on this computer will be uploaded and merged with the bookmarks stored in iCloud ' so it's not deleting the favourites within iCloud as suggested. The option is there to merge or cancel and the cancel deselects the bookarks tab so is not an option.


Has anyone got any suggestions for emptying the bookmarks stored in iCloud?

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icloud bookmarks (PC) not synchronising

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